Respect and good manners

I have had nothing but good experiences at OTB tournies with my opponents. Always pleasant, always respectful, and generally always willing to go over the game. But i get to online chess and i think its the fact that people can hide behind a monitor and act " "hard" for some reason. But i assume its human nature. When they are out in the open they are polite, but when they are hiding behind the safety of a computer they change for some reason.

haha, this is funny because I didn't even know the rules of chess conduct (until recently) so I always said 'hi' before starting a live game. A lot of times I'd get a 'hi' back and so later I'd add a comment about a certain move my opponent made, like 'doh! I didn't see that coming' or non-related things even (nothing distracting of course). If they didn't say 'hi' back, I just assumed they didn't like chat and the game would begin and end in total silence.  Rather lame, imo. 

It's weird then, that I know how old some of my opponents were, what they thought about some of my moves (no, I didn't ask, they volunteered), what moves they made that they considered bad (again without asking), what time it was where they were, etc. All this throughout the game! I never expected any responses, especially at critical thinking moments. Basically, I would only talk during my turn and vice-versa, so it was less disruptive to both. Sometimes after it ended there was even further discussion about the game. These were all long games of course (20-40 min.) but unbelievably no one ever complained! In fact they seem to like it just as much. It definitely made the games a lot more fun. 

So it's rather surprising to read that people generally don't talk during a game since I've had conversations in a lot of mine. Anyway, I'm all for chat! Unless of course you're brutally serious about chess I guess.

I usually can't reply to a bright and happy greeting because the game window is not adjusted correctly to begin with (I use Firefox, which is fickle). 

To reply to some chirpy-headed greeter (such as they have at Wal-Mart), I am forced to stop concentrating on winning the game and attempt to adjust the game window by dragging it's edges about, which wish not to be dragged about, trying to make visible the space to click to reply.

It is not worth the time and effort to say hello.  It is meaningless. 

There is already too much socialization in culture.  Disgusting. 

The species need be isolated and sterilized.  With a miracle, they may begin to think for themselves about subjects other than sex and recreating themselves through orgasm. 

In essence, they will become an intellectual that finds the unwashed (to use Kissinger's term) masses appalling if not pitiful.

If I get a "hello" in a chess game, I assume that my opponent (opponent, that is—not best buddy of mine that I wish to retell the occurences of his day) is trying to undermine my game by deceitful tactics. 

I may attempt to deflect this, this... greeting attack, by saying something like "Howdy, I'm on a computer here in jail.  You know why I'm in jail?  I killed a man over a chess game.  You want to come the Sunday worship here?  Maybe have a game after all the blasted singing of new agey hymns like on the Christian radio now-a-days?"

Depending on the response to that, I may alter my "greeting attack" by guising myself as a pregnant woman looking for a husband, all while I unnoticeably develop chess pieces.

Of course, I'm being a tiny bit cynical, Bishop-Joe.  I do manage to muster a response to most greetings I get here, though many times, I wish I had not, as a stream of abuse follows. 

Thank goodness for "disable chat".  Nothing better than silencing drunken adolescents and then mating them (as I'm sure any Bishop would know).

'the folks who made the sign' understood.

I believe if you are not a paying member the chat feature does not work. If they don't respond who cares keep playing the game.

Ahh, thank you.  You see, I didn't have access to them so that I could ask.  I'm glad someone here did. 

Brilliant. Thank you.

 No need to ask, the proof is pictured before us, as is your difficulty in admittttting a mistake & moving on.

It doesn't hurt to say hi.

You don't have to be big mates, but it does make the world a little friendlier.